High-heeled solutions to power problems

Chennai, Aug 9 (IANS) The tap tap tap of high heels - how many times do we hear it in a day? Now, every time you walk, every tap of your heels will generate electricity, enough to light up torches and pathways.

Two Chennai based doctors have turned the human step into an electricity generation device and have applied for a technology patent under the patent cooperation treaty (PTC).

P. Pari Kumar and Samuel J.K. Abraham call their innovation generating electricity from activities of daily life (ADL) and have named the power generation and storage mechanism ADL Energy.

The idea is simple, the device simpler.

“Walking is an activity we do every day, every hour, every second. Imagine how much electricity can be generated from this?,” Pari Kumar told IANS.

Every step one takes, makes a gear hidden inside the heel move, operating a mini-dynamo which generates electricity, which is stored in a cell.

A lamp can be fitted in the shoe which will light your way when you walk. Electricity can also be transferred from the cell to another location.

These technology-enabled shoes have the ability to change the way rescue workers move and work in disaster areas. It will also help those moving through unlit terrains and forests.

The sample shoes that light up lamps are ready and on demonstration.

“The same is the case with staircases. If a generation device is linked to the step, every footfall on that step will keep generating some amount of electricity that can be stored in a battery and used to light up not only the stairway but even rooms”, Abraham told IANS.

The device can also be fitted in speed breakers. According to Abraham the technology has huge possibilities and they are now taking the concept and primary model to Japan for engineering commercial miniatures that can be mass manufactured.